REVIEW: The Outfit is a Twisty Story featuring Fantastic Performances
Chicago, 1956. A quiet, meticulous gentleman by the name of Leonard (Mark Rylance) owns and operates a small tailor shop in the city. Assisted by his receptionist Mabel (Zoey Deutch), Leonard’s precision and eye for detail is what lures people to his shop. At the beginning of Focus Features’ new film, The Outfit, we watch as Leonard crafts his suits and the precision needed to create one-of-a-kind garments for his customers. Because of this, Leonard’s creations have drawn an interesting crowd to his establishment, including Chicago gangster, Roy Boyle (Simon Russell Beale). However, as the film progresses, we find Boyle isn’t visiting the tailor shop for just its suits. Boyle, and his cronies, use the shop to pass communications on to one another without fear of being apprehended by the law. It isn’t until one night when Boyle’s son Richie (Dylan O’Brien) stumbles into the shop wounded that everything changes for our lovely shop owner.
In his directorial debut, Graham Moore manages to craft a twisty story that keeps going until its very last moments. Set entirely in Leonard’s tailor shop, Moore’s story plays out as if you are watching from the front row of a Broadway play rather than a film on screen. With only one set used and a seven-member cast, keeping the audience entertained from start to finish is not an easy feat. Moore, though, uses this to his advantage. He allows his actors the freedom to create and does not overwhelm the story with unnecessary sets or plot lines. It’s a seamless transition that is almost as precise as Leonard’s beautiful suits.
Because the cast is so small and the story is quite focuses on the performances, each actor really had the chance to bring to life their characters and deliver performances that were both captivating and riveting. Rylance leads the cast as Leonard and is superb. His portrayal of the quiet English tailor brings an almost eerie sense of calm to even the most stress inducing scene. Not all actors have the ability to bring this type of character to life without making them feel meek or inferior, but Rylance is not one of them.
O’Brien and Deutch also do a wonderful job alongside Rylance. The two have wonderful and easy chemistry with Rylance, and one another each other. O’Brien specifically has a beautiful scene that truly encompasses his abilities as an actor. Nikki Amuka-Bird plays the rival to Boyle’s gang, Violet, and steals the show in the few minutes she is in the film. My only wish is that we had gotten more minutes learning about her character.
Focus Features’ The Outfit may seem like a simple film on the surface, but it is anything but. Like the clothes Leonard is crafting for his clients, this story is unique and filled with many story and character layers. Every time you think you know what is going to happen, Moore peels back another layer that makes the characters and film feel quite unpredictable. It’s an exciting ride for all.
Grade: A